Sardinia has plenty of golf facilities. But only four of them are 18-hole courses. And given the occasional heat and drought, irrigating the courses is clearly a major challenge. Only Pevero Golf in the north of the island delivers.
On our 2-week Sardinia road trip from north via the east coast to the south, Katja and I tackle three of the four 18-hole courses: Pevero Golf in the north, Tanka Golf Villasimius, and Is Molas Golf Club in the south.
Is Arenas Golf & Country Club in the east unfortunately doesn’t sit on our route this time.
Pevero Golf – Top Course on the Costa Smeralda
30 minutes by car north of Olbia, you’ll find the Pevero Golf Club. Fittingly for the upscale Costa Smeralda, the course is beautifully set into the landscape.
The renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones designed highly varied fairways with plenty of challenges. It’s not just the lush nature that distracts you — the villas and yachts typical of the area are quite the eye-catchers too.
The clubhouse is very refined and the food is excellent.
Only the locker rooms feel a bit dated.
But this is very cool: On blind tee shots, a webcam shows whether the previous flight has cleared the fairway so you can tee off.
The green fee of €100–170 plus golf cart and club rental is probably fair given the exclusive Costa Smeralda location. Especially since the course is well maintained and the rental clubs are brand new.
I play like a young god, by the way, and edge out Katja on the final stretch ;-)
Here are my other travel tips for northern Sardinia.
Tanka Golf Villasimius
Things are considerably less pretentious in southeastern Sardinia at Tanka Golf Villasimius than on the Costa Smeralda: There’s no clubhouse whatsoever, and you park on packed dirt. But the caddy master is very friendly and the golf cart is fast.
Tanka Golf is hillier than it looks from a distance. A golf cart is highly recommended!
The fairways and greens are comparatively well kept.
The 18 fairways by golf course architect Luigi Rota Caremoli are unconventional and quirky in their layout. I don’t enjoy them at all — or maybe it’s the old, rock-hard rental clubs.
Either way, I deliver a round best forgotten, and Katja beats me handily 8-(
Golf Club Is Molas
Is Molas clearly hasn’t seen water in ages, and the clubhouse has seen better days. The rental clubs are okay, but we’re given an unsolicited discount on the green fee because the course “has suffered a bit,” according to the receptionist.
“Suffered a bit” turns out to be an understatement of epic proportions!
The fairways are brown and hard as toast — balls roll forever, mostly sideways into the bushes or out of bounds.
On the upside, between the color and the dust, a proper safari vibe kicks in when deer cross our path…
We advise against playing Is Molas, even though the holes designed by architects Cotton, Pennink & Partners would actually be varied and interesting.
The clubhouse has seen better days — we didn’t feel like eating there after the round. Especially since I lose by a mile yet again 8-(
Golf Tips for Sardinia
Given the intense summer heat, golf season in Sardinia is limited to spring and fall.
During our rounds in early October, we’re certainly grateful for the golf cart and its shade-providing roof.
Ultimately, we’re disappointed by Sardinia’s golf offerings and would recommend a beach vacation instead. The destination has so much more to offer on that front!
For golfing in the south, Mallorca, Cyprus or Portugal are far better choices (links to my reviews below).
